Abstract

One question of character dominates: Where did candidates stand on the 2002 decision to wage war — and why?

The problem is not that those candidates who favored war were wrong. Yes, they were wrong to think Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction threatened our security. They were wrong to think the president’s plans included winning the peace.

If these candidates were simply wrong, you should question their judgment, not their character. But what if they were right? What if they doubted the justice or wisdom of war — and voted to authorize war anyway? What if they supported war because they feared seeming weak and unpresidential?